Verizon Chooses Ciena and Cisco

Verizon has choosen to build its next-generation 100-Gbps metro fiber optic network infrastructure with platforms from Ciena and Cisco.

“Deploying a new coherent, optimized and highly scalable metro network means Verizon stays ahead of the growth trajectory while providing an even more robust network infrastructure for future demand,” said Lee Hicks, vice president of Verizon network planning. “Ciena and Cisco met not only our technology requirements but the aggressive timeline to deploy our next-generation 100G-and-above metro network.”

“In today’s Web-scale world, advanced, next-generation metro networks with high degrees of packet convergence and software intelligence are critical to the future of connecting increasing amounts of content to users,” said Francois Locoh-Donou, senior vice president, Global Products Group at Ciena. “Leveraging the latest capabilities in our 6500 platform for metro applications where density, scale and cost are equally important, Verizon will benefit from an end-to-end solution that can deliver a truly on-demand experience for its customers.”

Said Kelly Ahuja, senior vice president of Cisco’s Service Provider Business group: “Verizon and Cisco are long-standing technology and business partners, and we are pleased to play a key role in Verizon’s optical network modernization program. Cisco has made key investments in next-generation optical technologies to enable Verizon to realize its vision to transform its network architecture to achieve the speed and operational efficiency required to meet the demands of today, while capturing growth opportunities over the next decade.”

The losers from this decision are Verizon’s current metro optical transport incumbents, Coriant/Tellabs and Fujitsu Network Communications.